The Key

Clairvoyant Serial, Book 1

By: Kathryn Wise

Narrated by: Cindy Drago

Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

He who controls social media controls the world. 

A sinister force seeks to do just that, and nothing is going to stand in the way. All it needs is one final piece of the puzzle. 

When a disruptive pattern of social media outages escalates, bad-ass data forensics specialist Rachel Vaughn is called upon for her expertise, setting her on the hunt for an algorithmic key with the power to take down the entire global infrastructure. Guided by an otherworldly group of four, Rachel has been entrusted with the missing puzzle piece, and the bad guys know it. With Special Ops agent Grayson Blaine by her side, she outmaneuvers the enemy in what may prove to be her most dangerous assignment ever. 

Will Rachel find the key before the entire social media infrastructure is hijacked? And as the outages continue, can the world function without its social media fix, or is it too late? 

An unusual and intriguing serial that resists categorization, the Clairvoyant Serial is a modern-day morality tale about power in the age of global connection and social media influence. Carrying heavy baggage from her past, Rachel Vaughn leads the way in an intellectually challenging saga that features good versus evil along with significant moments of temptation. Part paranormal, part corporate mystery, and part thriller, the Clairvoyant Serial will take you on a crazy ride through what seems like perpetual chaos until the very end, when a final twist drives out unexpected clarity. 

The Key is the first installment of this five-book saga. Get your copy today. 

©2018 Soul Words (P)2018 Soul Words

Cliffhanger & too much fashion talk

This story felt more like a prelude into a bigger story and not a stand alone tale. Rachel is an average woman caught up in extraordinary circumstances. She’s being wined and dined for an exclusive job position in NY. Yet odd things keep happening to her, and then the clandestine meetings, conversations, and messages pop up. It’s got a little suspense, mostly a mystery, and a hint of something that can turn into romance down the road.

Rachel loves high fashion and makeup and jewelry and fussing with her hair… and all that was so boring to me. I don’t care about the brand name of her shoes or her tailored jacket, etc. I wish more time was spent on developing the characters or the world building. Because I don’t care about the details of Rachel’s wardrobe, she came off as a shallow character to me and I didn’t click with her.

The mystery itself holds interest. Pretty early on it becomes apparent that Rachel is in some kind of tech-enhanced game. I’m not sure yet if it’s total VR or just partial. I do love that there’s people in conflict over it, perhaps corporate espionage, and Rachel is caught in the middle trying to figure out who is the good guy.

The main guy, Grayson, has a limited role that could grow. He’s mostly a pretty backside to admire in this tale. I do hope that he becomes more than that in the future installments to the series. The other notable character is clearly trying to steal something from Rachel. She calls him Denis the Menace, because he attempts to steal her purse more than once. I thought this a silly name and dated the story.

Ending on a cliff hanger, the story left me in a lurch. So I suggest having Book 2 ready to go so you can carry right on with the story. 3.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Cindy Drago has a great voice for Rachel. She brings Rachel’s curiosity and determination to the forefront of the story. However, Drago could use a bit of masculinity for the male characters. Drago’s pacing was good and there were no technical issues with the recording. 4/5 stars.

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.